Tasmanian Poetry Festival play tells the story of Gwen Harwood's revenge

Not because of a lack of talent, but because mainland editors dismissed her as a "Hobart housewife."

So, how do you get back at a patriarchal publishing landscape?

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It's this story that Launceston playwright Stella Kent and director Peter Hammond wanted to bring to life, exploring Harwood's life and tale of revenge against an unfair system in a play titled Deceptions.

It wasn't until Harwood submitted poems under a male pseudonym that she started getting published- but there was a clever and devious catch to one of her poems.

Furious at the way she was treated, Harwood submitted a poem with the hidden acrostic "F**k all editors" to publication the Bulletin.

When it was discovered, editors and newspapers around the country turned on Harwood who had published a "rude word," but her legacy had already been set in stone.

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Along with this story, Mr Hammond said the play would explore the relationship between Harwood and her husband, Bill Harwood.

"It's a story about empowerment," Mr Hammond said.

"It's a love story with many prickles on it that can be really pertinent to a lot of people's marriage, and yet Bill and Gwen stuck together till the very end," Mr Hammond said.

He said Harwood's story is set against the Orr affair, an infamous sexual harassment case in Australian history that involved a University of Tasmania professor and his student.

"The beautiful thing about it is that Stella Kent has managed to capture quite a bit of unusual history in the relationship with the University of Tasmania," he said.

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Michael Edgar, who plays the role of Bill Harwood, said it was interesting exploring Bill's "chauvinistic" side.

"But obviously, they were in love... he's an interesting character in himself who had his own passions," he said.

"I think it's bringing that sort of enthusiasm and showing he's quite a reasonable person within the boundaries of his time, he's not just a dreadful ogre... although he is as well."

Mr Hammond said audiences could expect 70 minutes of "pretty good drama."

"There's the odd joke here and there, but we did a performance last week and not only held the audience in a silent manner, but they also found the human which was really good," Mr Hammond said.

Tasmanian Poetry Festival treasurer Evie Wood said Harwood was a guest of the festival throughout the 1980s and 90s, and won the Launceston Poetry Cup on one occasion.

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"When I read the play I really felt for Gwen Harwood, as a woman ahead of her time trapped by the mores of the time," Ms Wood said.

"Women who wanted to do things and write didn't have the opportunity... she got back at them with a hidden acrostic and good on her I say.

"Many women probably wouldn't have had the courage to do that."

Deceptions premiers at the Earl Arts Centre on Saturday, October 8, before travelling to Hobart for a performance at Hadleys Hotel on October 21.

Tickets can be purchased from Theatre North's website.

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